by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH - It has long been established that Mike Tomlin would undoubtedly make the cut as a finalist if there were a contest to select the NFL's coolest coach.

He's young, fresh, poised and down to earth. He can be easy going and funny, too. Tomlin's in a comfort zone when working the locker room, needling players and others in his path.

On the sideline, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach wears designer shades.

Cool.

But Tomlin's team is 0-3 now, and there's nothing cool about that.

In his seventh season on the job, Tomlin has never had a team that was even two games below .500 until now. And after missing the playoffs with an injury-riddled squad last year, it will take a trend-busting rally for the Steelers will qualify for the postseason. Since the playoffs were expanded in 1990, just three teams that started 0-3 got in.

The Steelers are off to their worst start since 2000, when Tomlin was a defensive backs coach at the University of Cincinnati.

This is all on his desk now.

"I know Mike Tomlin hasn't had this type of challenge since he's been here," Mel Blount, the Hall of Fame cornerback who starred for the Steelers during the 1970s and early '80s, told USA TODAY Sports. "It will give him an opportunity to show what type of coach he is."

Don't confuse this with any type of coaching hot-seat situation. Tomlin is coach of the Steelers, who have had just three coaches since 1969. Stability is a cornerstone of the franchise that has been in the Rooney family since the 1930s.

Likewise, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin wouldn't have to worry about job security with his 0-3 start, either.

Resumes with Super Bowl victories provide shelter from the heat.

Still, in the aftermath of a 40-23 loss to the Chicago Bears at Heinz Field on Sunday night that was marred by five turnovers, Tomlin showed that grumpy trumps cool during these troubling times.

There was no gray area. Tomlin was not just seemingly embarrassed by what he saw on the field, he was hot about it. It would have been fitting if steam poured from the sides of his Steelers ball cap during his postgame press conference.

How does Tomlin keep his team focused?

"I expect them to," he flatly responded. "I'm not going to encourage them to. I'm not going to pat them on the back for sticking together, for continuing to work or for being mentally tough. I expect them to, and that's what I just told them in there."

This is going to be a tough week for the Steelers. They have to start preparing for Week 4 on Tuesday since they'll be traveling to London where they'll face another 0-3 team in the Minnesota Vikings.

There is much to correct, from Ben Roethlisberger's four turnovers, to the O-line inconsistency, to a defense that has struggled to collect sacks while giving up big plays in crunch time.

"It's going to be very painful for a lot of guys that have been around here, that aren't used to this," Roethlisberger told USA TODAY Sports when asked to project the work week. "We just have to make sure that the young guys feel the same pain. We've got to get it fixed, quick."

The standard is reflected by the six Lombardi Trophies aligned in a glass-enclosed trophy case on the second floor of the Steelers' headquarters, near the coaches' offices and meeting rooms. There's nothing subtle about the expectation.

Yet the Steelers' issue is compounded by transition. Just 13 players remain from the 2010 squad that advanced to Super Bowl XLV, while 17 players on the 53-man roster are in either their first or second NFL seasons.

Add the injuries that have wreaked havoc on the O-line and backfield to the struggle of adapting to the new offense that coordinator Todd Haley installed upon arriving last year, and there is no shortage of reasons to explain some of the woes.

Just don't expect Tomlin to make any excuses. About anything.

Nor does the unusual trip overseas that looms provide any added challenge.

"It's not difficult for us until we get there," Tomlin said. "We don't go until Thursday, after work is done. So between now and then, it's business as usual. That's the approach we need to take. We've got a lot of work to do, obviously."

Turning the season around won't be easy. At the moment, the Steelers are no better than the third-best team in the division they once owned, the AFC North, behind the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

But throwing in the towel on the season does not appear to be an option.

Woodley got a bit feisty when it was suggested that 13-3 is a bit unrealistic to expect.

"That is realistic," he countered. "We've got 13 more games."

Blount, who was at Heinz Field on Sunday with other former players to participate in Alumni Weekend festivities, is reminded of the adversity the Steelers faced in 1976.

That Steelers team started 1-4, yet finished with a 10-4 record.

"It's a young season," Blount said. "We've got time to right the ship. It's about guys sticking together and believing in each other. You have to shut out the noise from the outside world, and what people are saying."

Donnie Shell, the former Steelers safety, also remembers the 1976 campaign vividly.

He recalls how then-coach Chuck Noll addressed the crisis.

"He said, 'Nobody's going to come in and rescue you. Nobody's coming in riding on a white horse,' " Shell said. "That put the onus back on us."

No doubt, the current coach of the Steelers would agree with that.

On Sunday night, the Steelers rotated their offensive tackles, mixing in Kelvin Beachum with starters Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert - a clear indication that Tomlin is willing to make changes in an attempt to improve the results.

"They hadn't played well enough to justify otherwise," Tomlin said. "We're going to look at viable guys. We're going to turn over the stones in an effort to find a winning formula, and we're not going to be bashful about that."